Turkey detains 10 suspected Islamic State members in raids

10 Mar 2016 - 18:35

DIYARBAKIR: Turkish police detained 10 suspected members of Islamic State in raids in the mainly Kurdish city of Bingol in southeastern Turkey, and accused them of recruiting and preparing an attack, security sources said on Thursday.

Islamic State, the militant organization which controls large areas of neighboring Syria and Iraq, has been blamed by the Turkish authorities for carrying out four bomb attacks in the NATO member state since June.

In the most recent on Jan. 12, a suicide bomber killed 12 German tourists visiting Istanbul's Sultanahmet historical area. This week Turkey blamed Islamic State in Syria for cross-border artillery fire that killed two people.

Officials have estimated that up to 2,000 Turkish nationals went to Syria and Iraq to fight for Islamic State. Turkish courts have arrested more than 800 people for Islamic State links, they said.